Prolific Blogger Award

The Prolific Blogger Award was given to me by my friend Bev at the Wormhole.  A Prolific Blogger is one who is intellectually productive...keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content. 

1. Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love!

 

2. Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award. (see above).

 

3. Every Prolific Blogger must link back to this post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.

 

4. Every Prolific Blogger must visit this post and add his/her name in the Mr. Linky, so that we can get to know the other winners. (Click here for the Mr. Linky page).

  I am passing this award along to these Prolific Bloggers: 1. Kari at A Good Addiction 2. Abby at Abby (the) Librarian 3. Becky at Becky's Book Reviews 4. Steph at Steph Su Reads 5. Lindsey at The Book Guru 6. Jill at The O.W.L. 7. Chelsea at The Page Flipper  

Review: Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis

Slow Heat

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publication: Berkley; Original edition (February 2, 2010)

Product Description: Baseball player Wade O'Riley's bad-boy image is about to be cleaned up by publicist Samantha McNead. But the sexual tension between them is about to drive Wade to his knees.

My Thoughts: I used to love reading Harlequin Romances. Back in the days before the internet I lived a long way away from the nearest bookstore but Harlequin would send me boxes of books each month. I subscribed to the Desires, Intimate Moments, and Temptations among other series. Now, over time, I have gotten rid of most of my old Harlequins. But, if you look at the ones I have kept, most often they are about a professional athlete. I confess, I have this thing about professional athletes falling in love with an ordinary girl (wish fulfillment, much?) Anyway, when I saw this book that pairs a professional baseball player with the team's publicist, I knew I had to have it and had to read it soon. And the cover did not discourage me at all!!

Each chapter begins with a baseball-inspired quote. Chapter 1's is "Confucius say: Baseball wrong -- man with four balls cannot walk."  Chapter 3's is "Being with a woman all night never hurt no professional baseball player. It's staying up all night looking for a woman that does him in. --Casey Stengal" I like how the quotes relate to the themes of the chapters. It was fun to read the quote and try to figure out what the chapter would be about.

I loved this book. I liked the relationship between Samantha and Wade. Both of them were afraid to love because both had suffered through many of the same disappointments in the past. Wade was a poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks who grew up with an alcoholic father after being abandoned by his mother. Samantha was a rich girl from the best part of town who grew up with an indifferent, workaholic father after the death of her mother. It took a lot of courage to find each other and become convinced that the other would be there for them.

I liked the subplots too of Sam getting to know her nephew Tag who was living with her while his father, her younger brother, was in rehab. The other subplot has Wade dealing with his father who is also trying to stop drinking and build a relationship with Wade.

The book was filled with lots of emotional moments, funny moments and sexy moments. I highly recommend it for lovers of happy endings.

Favorite Quotes:

He stretched some more, straightening his arms above him, briefly exposing a flash of washboard abs between the hem of his shirt and the waistband of his jeans. Jeans that were faded at all the stress points. He had some very fine stress points.

But his tough-on-the-outside Sam was holding on to a surprisingly soft, tender, bruised heart on the inside, and it did something odd to his own heart.

Challenges: 2010 E-Book Reading Challenge, RYOB Reading Challenge

Review: Tiger's Curse and Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Curse

Author: Colleen Houck

Publication: Booksurge (September 22, 2009)

Product Description: Kelsey Hayes was just a freshman in high school when her parents were killed in an automobile accident, sending her into the foster-care system. After graduation, she takes a job at a circus in Oregon to earn money for college. There, she becomes fascinated with the star attraction, a white tiger named Dhiren. When the tiger is sold to the mysterious Mr. Kadam, Kelsey is heartbroken—until Mr. Kadam offers her a job as Dhiren’s traveling companion. Because of her strong affection for the tiger, she agrees . When their truck is hijacked on a dirt road outside of Mumbai, Dhiren leads Kelsey deep into the jungle. There, he reveals his true nature: he is a three-hundred-fifty-year-old Indian prince, cursed by an ancient magician to live out eternity as a tiger. Young-adult readers will be enthralled by this mystical adventure story of a girl who risks her life to save the man she comes to love.

Tiger's Quest

Author: Colleen Houck

Publication: Booksurge (October 4, 2009)

Product Description: When Kelsey Hayes sacrificed her own happiness to give her first love, Ren, a shot at a better life, she struggled to recover from the pain of her loss. The American girl and the handsome Indian prince made an unlikely couple, drawn together when Kelsey helped Ren break a centuries-old curse that doomed him to spend eternity in the guise of a white tiger. Ultimately, Kelsey chose to return to America, leaving Ren behind in India and immersing herself in the life of a typical college freshman. At school, she meets Li, a completely average guy who offers her an ordinary, curse-free life. But just when Kelsey believes she’s ready to move on, her past returns to draw her back into a whirlwind of danger—and love. The sweeping saga of tender romance and suspenseful adventure begun in Tiger’s Curse continues in Tiger’s Quest, the second installment of Colleen Houck’s engrossing young-adult series.

My Thoughts: These were very lengthy but exciting adventures. I enjoyed reading them most of the time. There was a little bit too much description. It sometimes broke the tension in a scene. I sometimes felt that the author was thinking something along the lines of "I did all this research and I'm going to use it". Overall it was an interesting couple of books to read. I liked learning about India. There was a lot of information about Indian mythology and culture. I liked the relationship between Kelsey and Ren in the first book and the relationship of Kelsey and Kishan in the second book. I liked that Kishan grew and got rid of some of the guilt that had been haunting him for hundreds of years. I don't know about forming teams in support of a favorite love interest (i.e. Team Peeta and Team Gale or Team Edward and Team Jacob) but at the end of book 2 I am rooting for Kishan. Ren seems like a man who is so changed as to not be lovable any more. The ending leaves Kelsey in a Bella in New Moon state of depression. The author says she was influenced by Twilight and this is one occasion when I can see some resemblance. I can see fans of Twilight and sequels becoming fans of this series too. Although there is much more magic and much more danger and adventure in these two stories.

I purchase both of these books for my Kindle. The first was on sale for $.99 which, along with the cover, convinced me to give it a try. The second was a more normal $6. 99. The books are available as print books but are rather expensive for what I assume are paperbacks.

Challenges: 2010 YA Reading Challenge, 2010 E-Book Reading Challenge, RYOB Reading Challenge

In My Mailbox (March 7, 2010)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits.

Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun. I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the cool books everyone gets. You will discover lots of wonderful blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

I added these adult books to my TBR stack this week.

Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag -- A friend recommended this one to me. I have read many others by Hoag and was in the mood for a thriller.

Black Jack by Lora Leigh -- This author is an automatic buy for me. It looks like it is going to be a sexy, spy thriller.

Born to Be Wild by Christine Warren is also an automatic buy for me. This is about shapeshifters.

Broken by Shiloh Walker -- This book was highly advertised on lots of blogs recently and I really want to read it. It looks like it fits in the romantic suspense genre.

The Egyptian by Mika Waltari is historical fiction that I remember reading and loving years ago. Someone brought it up again on LibraryThing and made me want to read it again. I didn't have my own copy.

Shadowfae by Erica Hayes -- One review says it is "A thrilling and darkly erotic tale of betrayal, passion and redemption." Yum!

Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'hara -- LibraryThing tells me I already have a copy of this. If I can find it, this one will become the seed for my next contest. It is a debut novel that is supposed to be sexy and bold.

Master of Fire by Angela Knight -- This was is also an automatic buy. I like Angela Knights work. As usual this is a paranormal romance.

I added books to my Kindle this week too. This first group was contains all free books.

Booth's Sister by Jane Singer is historical fiction.

You Can't Stop Me by Max Allan Collins is a mystery/thriller.

Operation Sheba by Misty Evans is also a thriller. This one is also supposed to be sexy.

Demonfire by Kate Douglas is a sexy paranormal.

Battle of the Network Zombies by Mark Henry is actually third in the series. I don't have books 1 or 2 yet. Zombies, etc. here. This one was also free.

Crux by Moira Rogers is paranormal romantic suspense. I have read good things about this one.

Unclean Spirits by M. L. N. Hanover is a debut urban fantasy that sounded good.

Wicked Proposal by Tierney O'Malley is an erotic romance.

Now that I am looking over what I bought it seems that I was in the mood for sexy thrillers this week. What did you buy (and does it tell us anything about you)?

 

Friday 56: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Happy Friday everybody!!

 

Rules:

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
• Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
• Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

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Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Lindsay's kind of music-obsessed, so she makes a playlist for the ride to Kent's house, even though he lives only a few miles away. We listen to Dr. Dre and Tupac, and then we blast "Baby Got Back" and all sing along.

This was the nearest book to me because I just pulled it out of its package and was adding it to my LibraryThing account. I hope to get to read it soon. I have a couple of books I need to read before it though (Hex Hall and Forget-Her-Nots).

What was closest to you today?

  

Waiting on Wednesday: Broken and Master of Fire

Waiting on Wednesday The UPS guy should be bringing these to me today.  Broken by Shiloh Walker

Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter for a private detective agency in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He's drawn to her-but he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Sarah McElyea is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She has a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can't risk telling him the secrets she's hiding.

But Quinn must get closer to Sarah when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and both Quinn and Sarah will have to expose their true feelings-as well as their fragile hearts-if their love is to survive.

Master of Fire by Angela Knight

A beautiful, brilliant chemist, Giada Shepherd is an immortal witch charged with saving the life of Logan MacRoy, the mortal son of a vampire. Passionately attracted to Giada, Logan has no idea that sex would turn him into a vampire. And no, as a killer sets deadly traps for them, the truth must come out, as must a weapon they never counted on: love...

Teaser Tuesday: Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Black Magic Sanction

Author: Kim Harrison

Publication: Eos; 1 edition (February 23, 2010)

"Be reasonable, Rachel," Trent said coldly. "If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't do it with a charm I helped craft that could be traced back to me."

"I think you would!" I exclaimed. "You want me dead!"

"There are at least five people I can think of off the top of my head who want you dead."

I went to a books signing and Q & A session with her last evening. Now I really want to get to the book.